A free island-wide diabetes screening campaign this weekend aims to identify undiagnosed diabetics and those at risk of this chronic disease.
On Saturday, 23 March, Rotary Central will team up with the Health Services Authority to hold its third annual screening event at eight locations throughout Grand Cayman.
The event is open to children, adults, diabetics and seemingly healthy individuals. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, Rotarians and volunteers will be at each location to offer their services.
The screenings will include: blood sugar and blood pressure check, height, weight, BMI calculation, HbA1C test and medical consultation with physicians and nurses of various specialties and referral to applicable areas as warranted.
The free checks will be done at A.L. Thompson’s, Cost U Less, Foster’s Airport, Foster’s Strand, Foster’s Countryside, Foster’s Republix, Hurley’s Supermarket and Kirk Market.
Zelta Gayle, chair of Rotary Central’s Diabetes Initiative, said that during last year’s screening, 15 people were newly diagnosed as diabetics and three of them were urgently referred to the emergency room because of their extremely high blood sugar levels.
Thirty of the people screened were found to be uncontrolled diabetics, two of whom were also urgently referred to the emergency room due to their high blood sugar levels.
“Because of the presence of doctors at the screening locations, non-diabetic conditions were also identified and applicable referrals were made for medical management,” said Ms Gayle.
Worldwide, the prevalence of diabetes continues to increase and it is expected that during the 21st Century, it will affect one in every three people of the islands of the Caribbean.
About 57 million people in the United States are highly predisposed to having diabetes. The number of people in Cayman who are highly predisposed to diabetes or who have already been diagnosed as diabetics is unknown.
The only published statistics on the prevalence of diabetes in Cayman refer to patients treated within the public health system in 2010, which showed that about six per cent of those treated by the Health Services Authority were treated for diabetes. That figure does not include individuals who have not sought medical treatment in 2010, those who were treated by private physicians outside the HSA and undiagnosed diabetics.
People with high risk factors are five to six times more likely to develop diabetes over time. Having high risk factors of diabetes increase the risk for cardiovascular disease, although not as much as diabetes does.
Rotary Central has begun compiling an electronic diabetes data base and intends to supply the information to the Health Ministry, said Ms Gayle.
“It is Rotary Central’s goal that its diabetes initiative will sensitise the public about this disease, its prevalence within the Cayman community and encourage healthy lifestyle, which will delay the onset of this disease and also promote the extension of quality of life for diabetics,” Ms Gayle said.
Signs and symptoms of uncontrolled diabetes include fatigue, weakness, increased hunger, blurred vision, unquenchable thirst, frequent urination and losing weight without trying.
Rotary Central this month also sponsored a Diabetes Educators Course, which was attended by medical professionals of varying specialties from the public and private sectors.
Certified diabetes educator and consultant Andrea Hunt presented the course, which culminated in a pinning ceremony on 4 March at the Cayman Islands Hospital, where the course participants earned the title of “Diabetes Resource Clinicians”.
Developed to train healthcare professionals to provide accurate, effective and culturally sensitive educations to diabetics in the Caribbean, the course focuses on diabetes management strategies and addresses a critical shortage of medical staff with the ability to teach patients self-management skills to help reduce the risk of diabetes complications.
“By working as a member of a diabetes management team, the diabetes educator will improve the care that patients with diabetes receive by empowering the patient to make the necessary behavioural changes they need to manage their disease more effectively,” said Ms Gayle.
Diabetes and its complications are among the five leading causes of death worldwide, so self-management of the disease is important.
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